Stephen Kovacevich
A highly regarded pianist featured in the Philips label's Great Pianists of the 20th Century series, Stephen Kovacevich is particularly known for his original approach to the standard classical repertoire. Prominent in his repertoire is the music of such composers as Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Schumann, Grieg, Brahms, and Bartók, but he is also an acclaimed interpreter of contemporary music, including Tippett's Piano Concerto and Richard Rodney Bennett's concerto (which was dedicated to Kovacevich). Born Stephen Bishop, he added his Croatian mother's surname, Kovacevich, in 1975, just in time to avoid confusion with popular singer-songwriter Stephen Bishop. Later in his career, however, he decided to use just the Croatian surname. He played his first concert in San Francisco, at the age of 11. When he was 14, he played Ravel's Piano Concerto in G major and Schumann's Piano Concerto in A minor with the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra. In 1959, Kovacevich went to London, where he studied with Dame Myra Hess. A highly influential teacher, Myra Hess recognized and encouraged Kovacevich's affinity with Beethoven's music, particularly the works form his late period. On his London debut, in 1961, Kovacevich played Beethoven's "Diabelli" Variations to enthusiastic reviews. Following his London triumph, Kovacevich embarked on a brilliant international career, performing with many major orchestras and making numerous acclaimed recordings, including legendary performances with Martha Argerich and Jacqueline du Pré. Kovacevich, who has played all of Mozart's concertos, is also known for his acclaimed series of Schubert's and Beethoven's sonatas. A particularly memorable performance is his interpretation of Brahms's Piano Concerto No. 1, with Sawallisch, which received the 1993 Gramophone Award. He has an exclusive recording contract with EMI International. In 1984, Kovacevich started a conducting career, and has since conducted the Austrialian Chamber Orchestra and the Irish Chamber Orchestra. Also known for his support of contemporary composers, Kovacevich commissioned Stephen Montague's Southern Lament and performed the premiere at the 1997 Cheltenham International Music Festival. Also a teacher, Kovacevich has published a scholarly edition of Schubert's piano music.
© TiVo
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Beethoven: Complete Concertos Vol.1 - Piano Concertos Nos.1 - 4 etc.
Stephen Kovacevich, BBC Symphony Orchestra, Sir Colin Davis, Arthur Grumiaux, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Bernard Haitink
Classical - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on Jan 1, 1994
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven: Piano Sonatas Nos. 8 "Pathétique", 9, 10 & 11
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on Jul 1, 1998
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Grieg / Schumann: Piano Concertos
Stephen Kovacevich, BBC Symphony Orchestra, Sir Colin Davis
Classical - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on Jan 1, 1971
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven: Piano Sonatas Nos 27, 28 & 32
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on Sep 25, 1992
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Dvorák: The Complete String Quintets
Members of the Berlin Philharmonic Octet, Stephen Kovacevich
Classical - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on Jan 1, 1998
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Bagatelles & Variations for Piano
Classical - Released by UME - Global Clearing House on Mar 5, 2024
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven Klaviersonate Nr. 23 "Appassionata"
Classical - Released by Warner Music Group - X5 Music Group on Jan 26, 2018
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven Sonata para Piano No.8 "Patética"
Classical - Released by Warner Music Group - X5 Music Group on Feb 2, 2018
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Romantic Piano - Mendelssohn, Brahms & Schumann
Stephen Kovacevich, Aloys Kontarsky
Classical - Released by UME - Global Clearing House on Aug 12, 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven - A Selection
Stephen Kovacevich, Ludwig van Beethoven
Classical - Released by UME - Global Clearing House on Jan 10, 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven: Piano Sonatas, Op. 26, Op. 27, Nos. 1 and 2 "Moonlight" & Op. 49, Nos. 1 and 2
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on Mar 29, 2001
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Bartok: Sonata For 2 Pianos And Percussion / Mozart/Debussy
Martha Argerich, Stephen Kovacevich
Classical - Released by Decca (UMO) on Jan 1, 1977
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven: Bagatelles, Op. 119, Piano Sonatas Nos. 26 "Les Adieux" & 29 "Hammerklavier"
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on Aug 5, 2003
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven: Piano Trio Op.70
Daniel Barenboim, Pinchas Zukerman, Jacqueline du Pré, Stephen Kovacevich
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on Jan 1, 2001
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Brahms: 4 Ballades; Scherzo, Op. 4; 8 Piano Pieces
Classical - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on Jan 1, 1985
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Grieg: Piano Concerto; Peer Gynt
Stephen Kovacevich, BBC Symphony Orchestra, Sir Colin Davis, San Francisco Symphony, Herbert Blomstedt
Classical - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on Jan 1, 2011
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven La Sonate No. 8 "Pathétique"
Classical - Released by Warner Music Group - X5 Music Group on Feb 2, 2018
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Grieg & Schumann: Piano Concertos
Stephen Kovacevich, BBC Symphony Orchestra, Sir Colin Davis
Classical - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on Jan 1, 1971
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven Sonata per pianoforte n. 14 "Chiaro di Luna"
Classical - Released by Warner Music Group - X5 Music Group on Jan 12, 2018
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven Sonata per pianoforte N.8 "Patetica"
Classical - Released by Warner Music Group - X5 Music Group on Feb 2, 2018
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven: Piano Sonatas Nos. 4, 22, 23 "Appassionata" & 25
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on Jan 1, 2000
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo